Police warn of dangers of sharing intimate photos on social media
Posted Jan 27, 2023 06:30:00 PM.
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) is warning residents about the dangers of sharing intimate photos on social media platforms and the risks of potentially falling victim to sextortion.
The OPS said in a release that the service receives complaints each week, with victims' ages ranging. The OPS it has received roughly 50 reports in the last two months involving people and sharing pictures on social media, and the consequences of those actions.
“So much of our social activities involve texting, email, pictures and a presence on social media platform,” said detective Katrina Moore with the OPS General Investigations Unit. “Predators are always there, looking for victims.”
Detective Moore noted that online predators look for victims by first befriending them and then asking for photos.
“If you give them photos or videos, they will demand more images, or money, under threat of releasing the explicit photos to family and friends in your contact list,” added Moore. “This scam works because victims think they are talking to someone living in the same city and of the gender they are attracted to.”
Moore warns that the person you are communicating with could be anyone, anywhere in the world and not the person they present themselves as online.
To gain the trust of the victim, the online friend may offer to share intimate images too. In some cases, a predator can take control of the victim’s webcam, so they are unaware their device is recording them.
These criminals are adept at concealing their online identity and their location is often outside of Canadian jurisdiction making it difficult to conduct a thorough police investigation. The media platforms do not readily share private user information with police investigators without a production order or search warrant and are often based all over the world, making it difficult to identity the suspect or organized criminal group responsible.
Some safety tips to prevent extortion:
- Limit the amount of personal information you post.
- Set social media privacy settings to limit who contacts you
- Don't accept unknown friend requests
- Cover webcams when they aren't in use
- Don't click on links or files from unknown sources
- Requests for intimate images should be red flag and never send them on social media
Tips for parents:
- Look for resources on how to keep children safe and the website https://protectchildren.ca/en/ offers tips.
- Monitor online activities, social media profiles and friends' lists
- Discussions about befriending strangers online and sharing information
- Make children aware of online threats
- You are here to help if something happens
If you are the victim of sextortion, take these steps:
- Stop all communication
- Save all messages
- Tell parents or guardians
- Contact police and report through cybertip.ca
- Report the suspected person through social media platform they are contacting through
